People currently have greater ability to share information, and connect with other people than ever before. In the past, people were largely limited to communicating using wired telephone lines. However, advances in computing and networking technology are continually changing the ways that people interact and exchange information. In addition, the rapid growth of wireless mobile communication devices, enables users to engage in data sharing, voice and/or video communication at virtually any time from anywhere in the world.
Communicating across networks using electronic devices has become nearly ubiquitous. People engage in a wide variety of communications using the internet, ranging from chatting with friends to transmitting sensitive personal and business information. As the world moves to having a greater quantity of communication and commerce transacted via the internet, and in particular, using wireless communications, the necessity to effectively provide secure communications channels is increasing.
A common technique for securing network communications is to employ cryptographic protocols that provide security over the Internet. However, some entities have policies, legal interests, or other important interests in ensuring that only certain content is served through their network or using their hardware. These entities may not allow private communications encrypted using a cryptographic protocol. Consequently, if virtually all communications are encrypted using a cryptographic protocol, then some entities may block virtually all communications.